Just Friends
by GPR
Summary: When there's an invisible line either of you must not cross, how do you know when you've crossed it? One shot Rupert/Mina. A smidgeon of Luke/Mina.


Okay, I got the inspiration from me passing out at 5 am yesterday (unfortunately for me there was no Philip Glenister there, just my parents and siblings, tsk), and thought it'd make a good fic for Rupert and Mina. I hope you enjoy it!

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Just "Friends"

Rupert watched carefully as Mina put her head in her hands, her eyes closing in either tiredness or frustration. It seemed an age before she managed to utter a single word.

'I'm going to bed,' she sighed, a frown furrowing her brow as she stood. Rupert saw the unstable stance she held, and caught her elbow in fear that she may fall over, 'Are you…staying?'

He examined her with scrutinising eyes before he answered, 'Yeah.'

'Don't let me keep you here.' She mumbled,

He knew something wasn't quite right due to her half closed eyes and constant scowl, 'You took a nasty knock to the head Mina, that's cause for concern.'

She merely nodded, wincing a little as she put a hand to her head.

'Are you okay?' he asked, standing and holding her steady at the waist.

'Just a headache.'

He chuckled, 'You mean you're a headache. God you gave me such a fright. I thought you'd done some serious damage there.'

Rupert placed a tender hand on the side of Mina's face, letting his fingers graze the bluish bump protruding at the top left side of her head, directly on her hairline. He suddenly realised her breathing ceased to exist as she grimaced in uncomfortably, and he held her unfocused eyes in an unknowing gaze.

'What are you doing?' she muttered, swallowing slightly in awkwardness.

'Assessing your injury...'

'That sounds nothing like you at all.'

'You're right…' he pulled his hand away, '…take it easy, Mina, it's quite a big bruise.'

She smiled vaguely, 'I will. Goodnight, Rupert.'

'Night.' He smiled back, and she felt he way out of the kitchen into the darkened corridor.

Rupert waited until he heard the door of Mina's bedroom close softly behind her. He rubbed his eyes in tiredness, and swigged down the rest of his bourbon before putting the glass in the sink, switching off the lights, and making his way down the hallway, to the spare room. He ran a hand through his mussed hair, slowly undressing himself and pulling on a clean pair of pyjamas he found in the wardrobe. Rupert stopped momentarily, staining to hear Mina through the wall.

He heard her moving around, in no doubt undressing herself. A muffled click indicated to him she'd turned off the bedside lamp, and he felt comforted she was still stable enough to stand.

He threw back the covers, sliding into the cool bed before turning off his own lamp. Rupert waited a few more seconds, ensuring he heard no signs of distress from Mina's room. Satisfied she'd already gone to sleep, he closed his eyes and drifted into sweet oblivion.

-

Rupert groggily looked around him, glancing at the clock. 2 in the morning. Next door he could hear the rustling of Mina's sheets, and was certain she was having a restless sleep.

Sleepily, he got up and shuffled to her bedroom door, pushing it aside so as to check on her.

She was asleep, but tossing and turning, moaning repeatedly.

Careful, so as not to wake her, he sidled across the room and sat nearby her on the bed, and put the back of his hand to her forehead. She was reasonably hot, and he pulled the covers off of her slender frame, to give her body a chance to cool down.

Yawning, Rupert tottered hazily to his own bed, and flopped down, still knackered after a long day of smiting.

-

An abrupt noise awoke Rupert, although he wasn't entirely sure what it was. He sat up, rubbing his aching head, and glanced at the glow in the dark alarm clock. It was 5 in the morning.

He was about to lie back down when he heard the noise again. It was coming from the bathroom, which was right across the hallway from his and Mina's bedroom.

Cautiously, he rose and went to the door, pulling it back. There was no light emitting from anywhere, and the only person he knew who would walk around at 5 in the morning with no lights on, was Mina.

Rupert called her name, but got no answer, just a whimper. Suddenly alarmed, he ran into the darkness, and made out a figure he knew only too well grasping onto the sink for support.

The tap was still running as he pulled Mina away, holding her under the arms to support her.

She was sobbing hysterically, clinging onto him for dear life. There was panic in her eyes he'd never seen before, and it scared him.

'I need to get to bed now!' Mina cried frantically, her breathing laboured and drawn out long.

Rupert was trying to stay calm.

But then her eyes closed, she suddenly became limp in his arms and he staggered under her weight, gently lowering her to the floor. All the years of not enough exercise, too many cigars and excess drinking had made him less fit than he should have been.

He sat beside her, on the bathroom floor, rubbing her up and down the back in reassurance, and brushed the russet hair off her paled face.

What a way to faint. Luckily he'd been there to catch her. The bruise on her head peered angrily up at him, and he reminded himself to use some form of cream to soothe it.

Minutes passed, and Rupert thought about carrying Mina to her bed, but decided against it, hoping she'd wake soon.

He moved her head onto his lap to make her more comfortable, stroking her hair in a comforting way every now and then.

Mina stirred, her eyes flickering open and closed. Sluggishly, she moved her arm a little, and moaned quietly.

'Are you okay?' Rupert's eyes raked over her face.

'No,' it was barely audible, and her voice was as weak as her body, 'I feel like I'm on fire…it's so hot…I feel so dizzy…and my head hurts so much.'

'Shh,' He bent down and placed a soft kiss in her hair, 'I'm going to move you back into your bed, okay?'

'No,' she suddenly whined, 'leave me on the floor.'

Rupert Galvin wasn't taking no for an answer, and moved Mina's head off his lap so he could manoeuvre her into a foetal position. She continued to make protesting noises, whinging constantly with incoherent words.

'Rupert! No…leave me be…' she wept, powerless against him, '…I feel sick…'

'Quit your bellyaching,' he muttered gruffly, 'you can't sleep on the floor.'

'Yes I can.' She argued stubbornly, her voice still incredibly frail, she even failed to have the energy to move a limb as his arms slid under her neck, and the backs of her knees.

In all the years of knowing Mina Harker, Rupert had never seen her so incredibly feeble and irritatingly obstinate, for he lifted her into his arms, hugging her close to his chest, and she made such a fuss.

Her arms flailed pathetically due to her lack of strength, and she whinged relentlessly. She grew quiet after a couple of seconds, allowing a hand to rest against his chest.

Rupert could feel every bone in Mina's body, the silkiness of her skin as her bare legs grazed the sensitive skin of his arm, and feel the fragile heartbeat pulsate through her chest, which rested against his, as she lay in his arms. Yet the heat her body was producing radiated off of her, and he grew rather flustered himself.

Carefully, as though he was clutching an easily breakable object, he carried her back to her bedroom, and laid her upon the white linen sheets. Mina's eyes shut immediately, and Rupert perched on the side of the bed, his hand resting on her stomach.

'How's your tummy?'

'Griping.'

'I'll get a heat pack for that then.'

She simply nodded, laying her hand on top of his. They remained like that for a number of minutes, Rupert's thumb grazing her abdomen through the thin, red cotton nightdress she wore. It was likely she only wore knickers underneath and he felt uncomfortable for a second, before he reassured himself she needed him, and the situation they were in was completely acceptable.

Mina was content having the caring attention, but worried about the intimacy of it all. It meant nothing, surely? Rupert was just tending to her needs because she was ill, end of story. They were close friends, and that's what friends did for one another, they nursed you and they held you close in your darkest hour and they offered the comfort no one else could.

Finally the moment was broken as Rupert stood, opened the window beside her bed and left.

Awhile dragged by, wherein Mina heard the sound of the microwave, and it's inevitable "ding" as it announced it had done its job.

She was grateful for the frozen breeze streaming through the window to where she lay, rustling her tousled hair and chilling her burning, ashen skin. It took away some of her discomfort, only the pounding headache and nausea lingered.

The heat pack Rupert placed on her stomach and cream he rubbed into the bash on her head moments later eased the majority of her discomfort, and she felt exhaustion setting into her ill ridden body.

He sat with her, talking quietly until she drifted off into a deep sleep.

-

It was about 10 am when Rupert shielded his eyes from the harsh sunlight flowing through the open window, screwing up his face considerably, and succumbing to consciousness. Something had woken him, but he couldn't say what.

He realised there was something cradled beneath him, and remembered falling asleep across one of Mina's legs. The knee of her other leg was near his nose, since it was bent upwards towards her chest, whereas the other was stretched out fully.

Rupert stared at Mina's arms clutching the heat pack to her belly, since it was in his direct line of vision, and allowed his eyes to wonder up to her face.

It was still contorted in pain, but had softened in the passing hours. She was breathing freely, and her chest rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern that matched his own.

There were times like this one, when Rupert felt a twinge. He knew how he felt about Mina, and these… "Moments" never seemed to make the mutual arrangement that they were to be "just friends" any easier. Maybe some friends were destined to be more than friends, maybe Mina was supposed to mean so much more to him than he ever wanted to admit. But he could never confess it to anyone, even himself for that matter.

He still loved Maggie. Did he? Did he really? Or was it just guilt that when she was alive, Mina was the only other woman he would have died in place of?

Rupert knew he was in self denial, but how could he ever be happy with a woman who would never age another day? How could he burden her with the knowledge that would haunt her for the rest of time? Even after he died, she'd live on, in suffering. He couldn't do that to her, because he truly cared, and he knew the kindest thing to do was leave the subject untouched…even if it meant dying with her never knowing and him in anguish.

Smoothly, he lifted himself off her, freezing as she stirred, but did not wake.

An impatient knock on the front door made him curse, and he went to answer it.

-

Mina rolled over, most of her nausea having now passed. She felt like there was something missing, but couldn't place a finger on it.

She didn't bother to dress herself, instead traipsing into the kitchen, and wrinkling her nose in disgust.

'What's the matter? Don't you like omelette?' Rupert asked.

'Usually, yes, but not when I feel like I want to vomit.' Mina said, turning back towards the corridor to rid her nose of the repulsive smell.

'Well, it was Ruby's request.' He admitted, grinning at the groan which escaped her lips.

'What time is it?' she mumbled, rapidly aware of her state of undress as the thought of Ruby and Luke in the living room ran through her mind.

'12.20. I've been waiting for you to wake up, however, Luke was a little less impatient. He wanted to get going as soon as possible.'

'Let me guess, you made the pair of them wait?'

'Indeed.'

Mina heard someone enter through the other door, and assumed it was Luke. The sound of his voice confirmed it.

'Is she up yet-' the teen trailed off, his eyes falling on the half-clad form of Mina as she turned around, still shying away from the smell.

His gaze lingered at her ruffled hair, but sunk lower down to her bare legs. He recomposed himself just in time, because neither of the other two had noticed his surprise at seeing Mina so…breathtakingly bare.

'Bloody hell, you must be as bloody blind as Mina.' Rupert shook his head, glaring at his godson with some form of incredulous look.

It probably wasn't the best time for Ruby to make a guest appearance. She purely raised her eyebrows at Mina's nightwear.

'Did Rupert nick all your clothes or something Mina?' she remarked, teasing.

'Bloody hilarious,' the older woman's sarcasm was barely a surprise to anyone, 'I didn't know you two were here. I would have got dressed otherwise.'

'But you would have walked around in your nightie for Galvin?'

'Oh shut up Ruby,' Mina's frustration was evident, and the pallor of her skin was still worryingly pale, 'what's wrong with it anyway?'

'Nothing,' Luke elbowed his best friend in the ribs, 'Ruby's just being awkward as usual. Anyway, we have the address of a half-life called Whelan.'

Both Mina and Rupert sighed, mimicking the same words, 'Not him again.'

'Jinx.' Ruby called, but Luke shot her a pleading look, and she quietened.

'I'll get dressed.'

Luke began, 'Good idea-'

'Bad idea,' Rupert grumbled, 'You still look a bit shaky. Go back to bed, we'll sort this one out.'

A momentary look of fury flittered across Mina's face, but she knew he was right, 'Fine.'

As Mina's bedroom door slammed shut, Luke turned to Rupert, 'Care to explain?'

'You know she hit her head?'

'Yeah…'

Rupert placed an omelette onto a plate, handing it to Ruby, lowering his voice significantly, 'Well, she passed out this morning. Mina won't remember a thing about it, except before and after. She was very sick, fever, nausea, dizziness.'

'And you think she's a liability?'

'Hmm, she will be for a day or so, but don't tell her that. I don't want her getting hurt or worse, in a mood. Come to think of it, she's probably already in a huff with me.'

-

Mina was on the sofa when Rupert got back, lying stretched out with a pillow for support. None of the lights were on in the house since she didn't need them and the TV was on some drama, although she wasn't looking at it, he knew she was trying to grasp a hold of the plotline just by listening to it.

'How was it?'

He didn't question how she knew he was there, but lifted her feet up and sat down, laying her legs across his lap.

'Okay. Usual life and death situation, you know.'

'Hmm.' She seemed more contented than anything else, and Rupert stroked her stomach fondly.

'Still feeling sick?'

'No.'

'Good,' He smiled, and placed a kiss on her cheek, 'I was hoping, actually, that you'd let me stay here, in the spare room.'

She smiled back, her eyes sparkling with genuine delight, 'Of course. How many times have I asked you to stop sleeping in hotels? 18 years later you finally get the message.'

They fell into an easy silence, neither feeling the need to talk.

Mina fell asleep within the hour, and Rupert let her rest for awhile, until his legs grew numb with her weight, and he thought it would be more comfortable for her to sleep in her own bed.

She woke up in his arms before he could lay her down, and asked him to stay with her that night, because her headache had come back. He agreed with out hesitating, and fell asleep beside her, in her four poster bed.

In the morning, Rupert came round, finding Mina lying on one of his arms with her head on his chest.

He had always thought that one day they would be more than friends, but he realised, too late, that day had snuck by them years ago.

Now they couldn't turn back.

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Please review, I'd love to know your thoughts,

GPR


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